Ellie B shows excitement about the present

The 5-year-old was excited on our first Christmas morning at A Bitty Better. Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle had her nose in everything. She had plenty of presents to open, thanks to my dear wife Karen, who seemed to not pass up anything that she thought our cherished rescue mutt might like in this first…

Gosling, Stone sing, dance their way into a faraway La La Land

Director and writer Damien Chazelle wastes not one moment to let everybody know La La Land is going to bring everybody back to the days when Hollywood musicals were big, bold and bright. The first five or so of his 128 minutes of this beautifully shot and choreographed picture are spent on an L.A. Freeway,…

Santas from Around the World shout out Merry Christmas

The nine Santas from Around the World have been greeting patrons at the Liverpool Public Library for almost a month now. They are a proud bunch up there on our DVD/Blu-Ray shelves, with the Wise Men and camel watching over them as well. And today’s the day to show them together. Merry Christmas to all.…

I can still see your boat

While walking with Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle around our Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville, I noticed a boat put away for the winter. My cherished rescue dog and I both greatly admired the camo tarp used for weather protection. Yet we saw the boat. Easily. Plainly. Obviously. Ellie B wanted to get closer, even, but…

A smoky lake view

The tiny slice of “lake view” we get on our street in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville figures to be constantly changing. I think it will be different, depending upon many factors. What’s up with Onondaga Lake that day? The weather? And, as I discovered on a morning, the doings on the far shore factor…

On to a small brace for my dear wife Karen

Good news came again at the last checkup for my dear wife Karen. The recovery from her fractured wrist continues with the implementation of a truly portable brace. Her doctor says this latest version only needs to be worn when she travels out of A Bitty Better here in the Galeville neighborhood of Liverpool. So…

A Winter Solstice sunrise, sunset preview at A Bitty Better

Those of you with enough patience to have been following my words and images here for awhile may recall that I have a thing for the solstice, both winter and summer. And today’s the day, my friends, when we here in the Northern Hemisphere have the Earth’s tilt that takes us furthest away from that…

Rio Grande feels sort of medium, but it’s still a Happy Birthday

I chose a rather new joint on the Liverpool restaurant scene for my birthday dinner last week. My dear wife Karen and I had been to the Rio Grande previously in our two months spent in the neighborhood of Galeville before she asked me what I’d like to do after work on the night I…

Mike and Dave find the dates they deserve

Zac Efron has not been on what you’d call a winning streak with me. I hated Neighbors. If humanly possible, I despised Dirty Grandpa even more. Too despicable. Too deplorable. Too demeaning. D-minus. And yet I checked out Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates from my place of work having seen the trailer and doing…

I wouldn’t tell them to smile

I was sitting at my desk at the Liverpool Public Library working on something or other when my found rang. Page Sara sounded excited. She said there was a photo opportunity downstairs. Children’s room, pronto! I knew what my friend and colleague was talking about right away. Two little kids with balloons. Their moms were…